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Canadian government officials want AI to be deployed responsibly in Canada. This paper examines Canada's consultation process on AI governance and compares it to AI governance consultations in Australia, Colombia, and the United States. The authors argue that given the broad societal challenges presented by AI, democratic nations must find ways to meaningfully engage with their citizens on AI governance. While Canadian officials are working to improve the process of seeking public input, Canada and other democracies can do more to inform, involve, and collaborate with Canadian citizens on AI governance. The authors recommend that democratic governments, including Canada:
Build a base of common knowledge about AI to support informed participation.
Recognize public participation in AI governance as both a policy problem, and a communication and marketing problem. Enlist the help of a wide range of civil society groups on outreach.
Establish an “always-on” portal where citizens can ask questions and provide feedback about AI policies. Designate staff to serve as citizen guides and advocates, who could respond to concerns placed in the portal.
Designate an ombudsperson at every government department to respond to the public concerns over policies and practice related to AI. The ombudsperson should investigate citizen complaints and resolve them.